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HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
REAL-TIME POPE:
Philadelphia’s Cathedral
Basilica Receives Audio
& Video Upgrades For
Pope Francis’ Visit
HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
Cathedral’s Audio Requirements
Presented Challenges
Vol. 61 No.11
November 23, 2015
Audio requirements presented challenges.
Cathedral Basilica Of Saints
Peter And Paul Audio
HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY
66
BY STEVE MINOZZI, MONTE BROS.
In mid-August, I received a call from Fr. Gerald Gill, the rector of the Cathedral Basilica of
Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the design and
installation of a new sound system in the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania. This would
be for a Papal Mass in six weeks that would be
broadcast around the world.
Previous Experience
Having had the previous experience of designing and installing the sound system at St. Joseph’s
Seminary Chapel in the Archdiocese of New York
that was used for a visit by Pope St. John Paul II
in 1995, I knew what to do and what to expect.
Fr. Gill and I agreed that all necessar y cable
for the new sound system would be supplied
and installed by the cathedral’s electricians in
compliance with cable installation documents
and site super vision provided by Monte Bros.
Monte Bros. was also charged with concurrently
installing and calibrating all sound system components as a “parallel sound system” that would
not interfere with the facility’s daily operation
and use of the current sound system.
I quickly located an old in-scale floorplan of the
entire worship space, and created detailed worksheets for the cable installation documents, and
for a master sound system floorplan that would
illustrate the location of sound system components, mic/line inputs and speaker systems in
all areas.
The Papal Mass was attended by cardinals, archbishops,
bishops and hundreds of priests.
67
The chapel, which
accommodates up to 500
people, was designed
to accept audio from
the cathedral sound
system, and was used for
overflow attendance at
the Papal Mass.
A custom white altar
microphone and
two white boundary
microphones were used
at the high altar to
accommodate the pope
and concelebrating
priests.
Technicians with laptop computers were in the cathedral and
media room to monitor the Papal Mass and provide audio feeds
to Vatican Radio and backup audio feeds to the media room.
There were three major challenges to
the successful and timely completion of
this project:
• Acoustics: A spectrum analysis of the
worship space identified nine dif ferent
acoustical zones that would require independent equalization, logistical management and multiple combinations of speakers to get the job done.
• Logistics: The existing sound system
had to remain in use on a daily basis during the parallel installation of the new system. We had to accommodate a variety of
scheduled events in both the cathedral and
chapel, which would restrict our ability to
proceed during those time periods.
• Project Management: An accelerated
installation schedule would require the implementation of four project management
teams that would operate concurrently and
multilaterally, along with the cathedral electricians’ cable installation team.
Installation Plan
We set up a detailed installation plan:
• Design and Programming: I quickly
prepared sound system floorplans, schematics, equipment lists and DSP program
files for the project management teams,
as well as cable installation documents for
the cathedral electricians. These were delivered via email to each team member.
• Technology: Jim Woodward, assisted
The electronics console was designed with additional space to accommodate preprogrammed DSP
processors for the cathedral and chapel that could be quickly activated if necessary.
Equipment
3 Aiphone 3-line silent intercoms
2 Aphex DA-120 distribution amps
5 Audio-Technica AT-894 headset mics
5 Audio-Technica ES-915/ML mics
4 Audio-Technica ES-935/ML mics w/on/off switch
3 Audio-Technica ES-961/W altar mics
2 Audio-Technica ESW-T441 handheld wireless mics
2 Audio-Technica AEW-DA6600 antenna distributors
1 Audio-Technica ATW-DA49 antenna distributor
1 Audio-Technica ATU-891 mic
6 Audio-Technica ESW UHF wireless receivers
5 Audio-Technica ESW-T411 belt-pack transmitters (switch)
2 Audio-Technica ESW-T412D wireless transmitters
6 Audix MB 1255 MicroBoom cardioid mics
3 Biamp Tesira Forte AVB-AI DSP processors
4 Biamp Tesira TEC-1S controllers
8 CAMM CA-43L line array speakers
2 CAMM DT-1 speakers
20 CAMM DT-400 speakers
2 CAMM DT-800 speakers
68 Sound & Communications November 2015
8
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
CAMM DTC-1 ceiling speakers
Crest CM-2204 amp
Crest CM-2208 amps
Crown CD1-1000 amp
Denon DN-F450R digital flash recorder
Galaxy PA6S powered monitor
Peavey IPR2-2000 amp
Penn-Elcom 6642BK console
Raxxess ER-16 console
Raxxess ER-20 console
TASCAM CD-200iL CD-iPod player
Whirlwind SPC-82P 8x16 mic splitters
CABLES
American Data Link multi-cables
Belden mic cables
Belden RG-8/U coax cables
Genesis Cat5 cables
Isotec speaker cables
List is edited from information supplied by Monte Bros.
The author used this in-scale floorplan of the worship space as a basis for other planning
by Bobby Scarano, would review all DSP
program files and surface control software
files. They would execute and monitor the
accelerated acquisition of all custom and
proprietar y equipment for the new sound
system, as well as handle and expand interaction with the new media room on the
floor above the sacristy.
Woodward’s team would also be responsible for interaction with the Secret Service
and media broadcast organizations to ensure that there would be no conflict with
the 600MHz wireless microphone backup
systems for the Papal Mass.
• Electronics, Microphones and Media Interface: Tom Silliman’s team would
design and assemble the main and ancillary
electronics rack consoles in the sacristy,
along with temporary electronics consoles
that could be transported quickly into the
cathedral and chapel worship spaces for
equalization of the nine acoustical zones in
both areas, by using temporary cable runs
to the speakers.
Silliman would synchronize and test the
24 mic/line cathedral audio feeds from the
transformer-balanced mic/line splitters
to the media room to ensure continuity,
and for all hard-wired and wireless microphones, and line level audio inputs, in the
cathedral and chapel.
More Installation Plans
• Speaker Systems: Julio Salazar’s team
would identify the optimal locations and focusing for all 41 speaker placements in the
cathedral and chapel, and would manage
the installation and positioning of the new
speakers for optimal performance by temporarily relocating the existing speakers
wherever necessar y.
Salazar would oversee paint matching in
the area of each of the speakers, to have
them blend with their environment and to
patch any holes left by the removal of the
old speakers. He would also oversee the
testing of all speaker cables installed by the
cathedral electricians, in accordance with
the sound system cable installation documents provided by Monte Bros.
• Progress: The collective progress of
all levels of project management and the
cable installation team would be monitored
collectively by Monte Bros.’ multilateral
project management team, and evaluated
each week to confirm that all project management teams were in compliance with
70 Sound & Communications November 2015
the sound system and cable installation
schedules.
The new sound system was scheduled to
be in full operation for final testing by the
beginning of the sixth week of the project,
which would culminate in the Papal Mass
on Saturday, September 16 at 10:30am.
The biggest advance in technology since
our last papal visit in 1995 proved to be
the interaction and advantage of computer
systems: software and the internet, in designing, installing and servicing our sound
systems.
Over the last 10 years, Monte Bros.
worked closely with Jerr y Macon of Ma-
con Systems to develop his DB Master
client ser ver relational database software
to integrate and monitor all aspects of our
business. This provided the ability to cross
reference sound system schematics, floorplans, equipment and speaker designs in
similar installations, to expedite the design
of a sound system for this cathedral.
The ability of our technicians to remotely
access information from our file ser vers
in the field via their laptop computers and
smartphones, and to operate the database
system remotely to provide purchase orders for custom-fabricated equipment, significantly contributed to the timely success
documents, including the Acoustic Profile Chart, which documented nine different acoustical zones.
Two additional 24-inch microphones with
wireless plug-on transmitters on stands
were used to accommodate the last-minute
request for a deacon’s microphone and a
translator’s microphone in the sanctuar y,
and for the final address to the Holy Father
by Archbishop Chaput, in the sanctuary opposite the pope at the cathedra.
An 18-inch microphone on a base, with a
wireless plug-on transmitter, was positioned
on the floor of the high pulpit so it could
be placed on the pulpit quickly, as an emergency backup.
Multiple Computers
A spectrum analysis of the
worship space identified nine
different acoustical zones that
would require independent
equalization, logistical
management and multiple
combinations of speakers to
provide accurate replication
of the spoken word, liturgical
singing and music in all of the
listening areas.
of this project.
The expansion of this sound system to
accommodate a Papal Mass, which may not
happen again for many years, required a
design approach that would maximize the
assets of these additional features to enhance other special events in this worship
space in the future.
Microphones
When Umberto Civitarese, the Technical Director of Vatican Radio, arrived at
the Cathedral at 9:00am on the morning
of the scheduled 10:30am Papal Mass to
review the logistics and backup features of
the sound system, we were ready for him.
There was a hard-wired microphone on a
stand that could be detached quickly and
easily for the seminarian to hold for Pope
Francis when he was speaking from the
cathedra, along with an identical 24-inch
handheld microphone on a wireless plug-on
transmitter available as a backup.
There was a custom 24-inch white microphone and white base on the high altar for
Pope Francis, as well as two white boundar y microphones on the sides of the altar,
to accommodate the concelebrating clergy.
These could also be used as emergency
backup microphones for Pope Francis.
Jim Woodward and I had multiple laptop computers with surface control software in the left transept to monitor and
control the sound system, and provide an
independent audio mix for the Vatican Radio digital recorder. Bobby Scarano had
a laptop computer in the choir loft, with
surface control software, to monitor and
control the performance of the visiting
choir and instruments. And Tom Silliman
had a laptop computer in the media room,
with surface control software, to provide an
emergency audio feed to the media, in the
event of any malfunction of the media-room
mixing console.
Three identical DSP processors were
programmed and installed into the electronics rack console in the sacristy. These
could be switched in less than 60 seconds
to replace any or all of the active DSP processors, along with backup amplification
and wireless receivers and transmitters.
A temporar y backup generator was installed to provide alternate electricity to the
sound system and broadcast media room,
to ensure uninterrupted performance of
the live sound system and broadcast media
feeds in the event of a power failure.
Fortunately, none of these backup systems had to be employed, but they were
there if needed to ensure minimal interruption to the live audio for the Papal Mass
and broadcast feeds to the media around
the world.
The “longest hour” for Monte Bros. during the 1995 papal visit by Pope John Paul
II at St. Joseph’s Seminar y Chapel in New
York was truly the “longest hour-and-onehalf” for Monte Bros. during the 2015 Papal Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints
Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.
As they say, “Histor y repeats itself!”
November 2015
Sound & Communications 71